Out with the Old in with the New
by yes-I-am-a-genius
Summary: After Emily leaves, her position must be refilled. But how will this new member fit into the team, and will she possibly find love there at the BAU? All O.C.s are my own! *DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Criminal Minds.*
1. Can I talk to you?

"Aaron, can I talk to you? It's kind of important," David Rossi asked as he walked into Aaron Hotchner's office.

"Yeah, sure, Dave. Have a seat." Rossi casually sat down in the nearest chair across from Hotch's desk.

"I know that Emily just left, but..." Rossi began but then stopped.

"Dave, are you saying that you want to leave the team?" His boss questioned him with of heavy tone of concern in his voice.

"Aaron! I wouldn't leave this team-and especially not after that!" Rossi said, taken aback. "There's something else that I think you should know."

"I'm glad to hear that you're not leaving us, Dave. Not that I truly thought that you would- it's just that I wouldn't blame you, and the way you started certainly left room for interpretation," Hotch said, sounding slightly relieved.

"That's alright, Aaron; I understand that I may have misled you in your thoughts." He cleared his throat. "Listen, we both know that Strauss will want to fill Emily's position as quickly as she can, and most likely that someone will be to her political liking. And I knew that that wasn't the type of thing that the team needs right now; we need someone human that we can work with and highly efficient. So, I took it upon myself to suggest someone that I know."

"And how might you know this person?" Hotch inquired.

"I got to know her on one of my last cases before I retired, one that you weren't assigned to."

"Oh, so she was another agent or officer working on the case?" Hotch guessed.

"Uh, not exactly, Aaron."

"What do you mean by 'not exactly'?"

"She was one of the murdered couple's daughter."


	2. Only one more day

**All mistakes are purly the fault of me and my imagination that created this. Forgive any mistakes. I created all the OC's (i.e. Ctherine Pierce). If you have any questions, PM me. Sorry for short chapters. And now your story.**

Catherine Pierce woke up that morning knowing that tomorrow would be the day she got a fresh start. And that was all thanks to a certain David Rossi. Though, she could never quite understand why he was so nice to her. She had never liked him-from the moment they first met. Only, David didn't know that-even being the great profiler he was. She hoped that it would stay that way.

She had been a truly gifted child, not that she bragged about it. All throughout her life, she tried to hide the fact that she was actually very brilliant. But somehow she was always found out, to her dismay. She had been recognized for her impeccable singing abilities by a youth drama and music company at age four. She had an IQ of 180, and skipped fourth, fifth and seventh grades. She graduated at age fourteen; only a short few months after both of her parents were brutally murdered. After high school, she attended Princeton. She then attended the FBI Academy by special request of a certain, then former, Agent David Rossi. She went into the CIA as an undercover agent for almost three years before the case was finally concluded. Then she transferred to the FBI for another undercover operation that only lasted five months before she was reassigned to a violent crimes unit in Tennessee. She was content there until asked to join the BAU. She didn't even think twice about the decision.

She had been waiting to get this job for the better part of her thirty years. She knows that it was a bit odd for her to actually want a job at the BAU- especially, considering that the BAU had investigated her parents' murder sixteen years prior. But after that happened, all she had wanted was to catch killers the way that they had.

She wandered over to her mahogany roll top desk. She opened it and picked up a piece of folded, crinkled, and faded yellow legal paper. She sat down in the desk chair and slowly unfolded and smoothed out the paper. It was a to-do list that she had started when she was fifteen. Many of the items had been lightly crossed out. But there were still a few that had yet to be tackled, which included the first item on the list: _Get into the BAU_.

"Only another day, and then I can cross that off as well," she said to herself. "One more day."


	3. When is she joining the team?

"I helped her through school and recommended her to the academy. She's very good at what she does, Aaron," David Rossi assured Aaron Hotchner while sitting in the latter's office.

"I don't doubt that she's good; why else would you recommend anyone otherwise? What exactly is her story?" Hotch wanted to know. "And you never did tell me her name."

"Her name is Catherine Pierce. Both of her parents were murdered in the middle of the night just down the hall from her and her older brother, Colton," Rossi began. "She was fourteen and Colton was nineteen. There had been three murders in the surrounding states before theirs, but this was the first time that anyone else had been in the house during the murders. It was also the last successful one.

"Catherine was the first one up. She walked into her parents' room to wake them up, but instead found them mercilessly slaughtered in their bed. She woke the brother up with her screaming. He calmed her down and she was the one who called the police. She was very interested in the case. It was a bit peculiar, actually. When we finally caught up with the sicko-he's dead now-, she told me that someday she wanted to have a job just like mine. I retired a few months later, and she graduated that spring."

"So I take it that she's a junior Reid," Hotch replied.

"Yeah, she's incredibly bright. It's a wonder she didn't choose to use it in another way. Her IQ is almost as high as Reid's. The same age as him, too," Rossi informed him.

"When is she joining the team?" Hotch wanted to know.

"Uh, tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Hotch said a bit stunned.

"Why is that going to be a problem?"

Hotch shook his head. "No, I just would have preferred you tell me sooner, that's all."

"I know, but I was just informed to it as well. Strauss doesn't like a post open for too long," Rossi sympathized. "Should we tell the rest of the team?"

"Why don't we just tell them that we're getting a new member, but let them find out the rest tomorrow?" Hotch suggested after a moment of consideration. "That way she can tell them her whole story when she's ready and they can form their own opinions. If anyone asks, you can always say that she was involved in a case you dealt with and that you'll let her fill in the rest."

"That sounds good. Since we're still catching up on paperwork tomorrow, it's a perfect time to give her the grand tour of the place," Rossi agreed.

_Later that afternoon._

"Can I see all of my team in the conference room?" Hotch announced to the bull pen.

Within a few minutes, the whole team had filled into the room. Their faces had confusion and worry on them. They weren't called in like this very often, and when they had, it usually hadn't been for good news. Derek Morgan was the first to speak.

"Hotch, what is it? Is it a new case? I thought that we were on paperwork duty for the next couple days," Morgan whined more than stated.

"No. We're getting a new member on the team," Hotch told his team.

"WHAT?!" The whole team, minus Rossi and Hotch, said in unison.

"But Emily just left a few weeks ago," Spencer Reid stated matter-of-factly. "Why are they filling her position so promptly?"

"Strauss doesn't like things left open for long, and the right applicant applied, I suppose," Hotch told them, even though that was what the four were already thinking.

"So, who is this person exactly?" JJ asked.

"They were involved in a case that I dealt with and I think I'll let them fill in the rest. It is their personal history," Rossi informed them.

"Um, sir? When is this person coming?" Penelope Garcia wanted to know.

"Within the next couple of days. They are transferring from a violent crimes unit in Tennessee, and I figure that they might need a couple of days to get settled in," Hotch said. "We've done a lot of work today; why don't we all head home early?" He suggested, ending the impromptu meeting.

"Hmm, a new member. What do you think that their like?" Reid inquired once they were back in the bull pen packing up for the day.

"Hopefully not like you, Pretty Boy," Morgan replied.

"Hey!" Reid protested.

"A person can take only so much of you, Reid," was Morgan's reply.

"Violent crimes...he'll have to be tough and strong," Garcia said dreamily.

"Uh, Baby Girl? I'm right here," Morgan reminded her playfully.

"So? I know that."

"What do you think they'll be like, JJ?" Reid wanted to know.

"Probably some older, like Rossi-not that I think he's old. Just older than the rest of us," she covered herself.

"Well, I guess we won't know until tomorrow," Morgan concluded.


	4. Today is the day

**I do NOT own Lucky Charms or General Mills. That certain cereal fit nicely with my story, is all. (I don't own Criminal Minds, either . But I do own the OCs in this story !)**

Like the rising sun beginning to peek through the fabric of Catherine Pierce's pale blue curtains, she too was rising from the night's slumber. A thought jolted through her before she had even opened her eyes.

'_Today is the day. Today is the beginning of the new you. You're in the BAU, kid; you made it,'_ She thought to herself. Her eyes fluttered open as she groped for the alarm clock- _6:07._ She was told not to come in until 7:30. Oh, well; she couldn't sleep, so she might as well get ready.

She sat up and walked across the cool wooden floor to the window. She opened the curtain and stood staring out it for a moment, taking in the beauty of the early morning scene. It wasn't until she heard the alarm did she remember where she was. She turned the alarm off and made her bed, then went to the dresser and selected her clothes and went into the bathroom. After a few minutes, she emerged ready for the day ahead.

She was wearing tailored black dress pants, a pale yellow button up dress shirt with tiny blush roses on it, black socks, and black ballet flats. Professional, but not overly formal. Something she knew that the team would read into.

She walked into the kitchen and had a bowl of Lucky Charms, just like she had every Wednesday since she was five. Not that she was superstitious; she liked to stick to certain things, one of them being her particular breakfast habits. When she was done, she set the china bowl in the sink and went to catch the end of the local news.

When she glanced at the clock, she decided that it was time to get ready and leave for her new job. She double checked that all of the lights had been turned off, shut he curtains, and the windows and doors locked. Before lastly grabbing her go-bag that would hopefully remain in her car today, she opened the roll top desk and snatched up the list. She stuffed it in her pocket as she walked out the front door. She started the ten minute drive to Quantico with a high level of excitement, but when she pulled into the parking lot, she sobered; she didn't want the team to think that she was some sicko that got off on violent crimes. And, despite herself, she was a bit more nervous than she had anticipated.

'_Keep cool. You know how to act, so do it. This is what you wanted,_ _isn't_ _it?' _She reminded herself.

She exited the car and grabbed her work bag. As she approached the BAU building, hesitated. She wanted to make sure that she realized what she was about to do; join one of the most elite teams in the country- some even say the world. Was she really prepared? Could she really handle it? She jammed those thoughts down into the bottom of her thoughts. She walked into the building.

After going through security, she approached the front desk and asked which floor to go to. She walked to the elevator with pride in her step. She wanted to make a good first impression.

The elevator had two others inside, who were traveling to the floor above her. The _bings_ of the floors was like the counting down of a rocket launch. Finally the elevator stopped, its doors parting like curtains on a stage. She stepped out of the elevator. And into the doors of the BAU.


	5. Chi non muore si rivede!

Derek Morgan was the first one to notice the woman.

"Hey, there, beautiful; you lost?" He asked her.

The woman was slightly startled. "Who, me?" Morgan smiled. "No, I'm not lost, but thank you for your concern," she told Morgan.

She glanced up at the platform offices and spotted a door marked "SSA David Rossi". She excused herself from the dark- skinned man and headed for Rossi's office. She knocked on the door twice.

"Come in," the Italian voice beckoned. The woman put on a bright face and opened the door.

"Catherine! _Chi non muore si rivede_!" David Rossi exclaimed while standing to greet her.

Catherine smiled. "Yes, long time no see. How long has it been?"

"Four years, _amico_. Please, have a seat. Do you still go by 'Catie'?"

"Yes, I do. Four years; a lot has happened in four years. You never told me that you were back in the BAU. I thought you were retired years ago," Catie said.

"_Le cose cambiano_," Rossi replied. "I got bored of retired life. you can only write so much. Now, enough about me. How have you been, _cara mia_?"

"Fine. I've had quite a career, so I've been told," she said, trying to be upbeat.

"You've finally got the job you've wanted since you were fourteen; I'd say that your career is just getting started," Rossi replied. "How's your brother?"

"Um, Colton and I don't exactly keep in touch all that much anymore," Catie confessed. "He did become an English teacher like he wanted. Now he teaches advanced courses at a high school and a college somewhere in Maine. I still think he should have gone for the doctorate."

"Some people say the same thing about you. You should have," Rossi commented.

"_Gente come te_?" Catie laughed. "Yes, well, I have the rest of my life to do that. I'm pretty content with what I have."

"How was Tennessee?" Rossi inquired.

"Weather's okay. The music's pretty good. The people are capable some pretty nasty stuff, though. Violent crimes was quite an experience," She responded.

"This job isn't exactly a cake walk, either. You get to see the dark side of the human race," Rossi reminded her.

"_Penso di poter gestire la cosa_, David," Catie said a bit timidly.

"You _think_ you can handle it?" Rossi questioned.

"I _know _I can," she supplied instead with a smile lingering at her lips.

"Now that sounds like the person I recommended," Rossi said, satisfied.

"Listen, David, I want to thank you for everything that you have done for me in the last sixteen years. You didn't have to do any of that. You didn't owe me anything," Catie said, graciously.

"I wanted to. And I do owe you something- your parents," Rossi insisted.

"You don't owe me that, David. You can't bring them back. You didn't kill them; only the person who did owes me that, not you," Catie replied sincerely with a twinge of sadness in her voice. "And he's dead."

Rossi sighed. "I wish I could bring them back, _il mio bambino_. I wish I could- for you and every child in this job whose parents are gone. It's not fair," he said with longing in his voice.

"So that's why you came back. You wanted to help save more children from that inevitable end," Catie concluded matter-of-factly.

"Eh, more or less. Are you ready to meet the rest of the team?" Rossi asked.

"Uh, sure. Did you...tell them about...?"

"No. We've decided to let you tell them. All we told them you were involved in a case that I dealt with and you would fill them in on the rest. And that you were being transferred from a Violent Crimes unit in Tennessee."

"So, you wanted them to form their own opinion of me. Clever," Catie deduced.

"Who ever said that I wasn't?" Rossi laughed. "Come on; let's meet the rest of the team."

**AN: Sorry this chapter took so long. I got kind of bored with it. But not anymore! So what do you think of Catie? Review me with your opinion. (All of the following are translated from Italian to English.)**

**Chi non muore si rivede- long time no see**

**amico- friend**

**Le cose cambiano- things change**

**cara mia- my dear**

**Gente come te- people like you**

**Penso di poter gestire la cosa- I think I can handle it**

**il mio bambino- my child**


	6. There's someone you might want to meet

David Rossi ushered Catie Pierce into the conference room without gaining the attention of the rest of the team, which is what he planned on. This way there would be the extra element of surprise.

"This is the conference room. Fortunately, we don't have to use it for a case today," Rossi informed Catie.

"Pretty up-to-date. Ah, I like the touch of the round table," she commented quietly. "King Arthur's knights- give or take seventeen."

"King Arthur; that's exactly what Reid's mother sees it as," Rossi said.

"Who is Reid?" Catie wanted to know.

"Just one moment," Rossi responded. "I'll just be a minute."

Rossi left her in the room and left for Aaron Hotchner's office. The door was ajar so he waltzed in without knocking.

"Dave, something up?" Aaron Hotchner asked.

"No, but our new member is here in the conference room," Rossi informed his boss from the doorway.

"I'll get the rest of the team."

The two men exited the office and walked towards the conference room.

"My team in the conference room, please. There's someone you might want to meet," Hotch addressed his team while walking past the bullpen.

The rest of the team quickly scurried up the steps and into the conference room. They were sure that this person was their new team member.

They were all a bit surprised to see a thirty year old young woman standing there. Her blue eyes watched them as they filed into the room.

"This is SSA Catherine Pierce. She will be joining our team," Rossi told them. "Catherine this is the team."

Rossi walked her to each person and let them introduce themselves. Hotch was first.

"I'm Aaron Hotchner. I'm the Unit Chief. Everyone around here just calls me Hotch."

"Hi, I'm Jennifer Jareau. Everyone calls me JJ. I'm the media liaison."

"Welcome, my name is Penelope Garcia. I do all of the techie stuff around here, you know, like hacking into stuff to catch the unsub. But don't worry; I'm all fluff and no bite!"

"Hey there, beautiful. I guess you weren't lost after all," Derek Morgan said teasingly. "I'm Derek Morgan."

And lastly, there was Spencer Reid.

"Uh, hi, um, I'm Doctor Spencer Reid, b-but you can just call me Spencer-or Reid. W-whatever you want to call me or uh, whatever's more appropriate. Um, uh, it's nice to meet you," Reid said a bit flustered. He was the only one who didn't shake her hand; he simply gave a timid awkward wave instead.

"Uh, I'm glad that I have the opportunity to be here. You guys can call me Catie instead of Catherine, if you wish," Catie offered. She then turned to Rossi and exclaimed quietly, "_Scommetto che lui ha un QI_ _più alto del mio_!" (I bet he's got an IQ higher than mine!)

"You speak Italian?" Reid asked a bit confused in a Reid-like way before Rossi could reply to Catie's comment.

"_Italiano_? _È questo che sto parlando_? _Ho pensato che era spagnolo_!" (Italian? Is that what I'm speaking? I thought it was Spanish!) Catie said to Reid.

"Sorry, I don't really know that much Italian; I can recognize it, though," Reid admitted.

"I didn't think you did by your facial expression. I just said 'Italian? Is that what I'm speaking? I thought it was Spanish!'" Catie replied with a nervous laugh. "I didn't know any Italian until I met David Rossi."

"And now you're fluent," Rossi noted. "I have some files to catch up on. Why don't you all move this party to the bull pen?"

The group all nodded in unison and they all made their way out of the conference room.

"_Non ti preoccupare, farai bene_," Rossi whispered to Catie as she followed the team. (Don't worry, you'll do fine.)

She smiled. "_Grazie_." (Thank you.)

* * *

"This is the bullpen and this will be your desk," Hotch informed her. She looked at the desk he was pointing to. It was the one adjacent to Reid's; they would be facing each other, which didn't seem like such a bad thing. She suddenly remembered the bag on her shoulder. She took it off and placed it on her desk. She took her seat and spun it around a couple of times.

"What are doing? You look just like Reid doing that," Morgan said.

Catie stopped and faced Morgan's direction. "I'm spinning. Did you know that spinning helps the brain sort sensory impressions?"

"Okay, so not only do you act like Reid, you sound like him, too! Great. Another Reid," Morgan complained.

"Morgan," Hotch warned.

"We figured you were going to be some guy around Rossi's age who had been a detective and worked on a case Rossi was on," JJ admitted.

"But here you are, all nice and fresh," Garcia said.

Garcia had pulled up a chair to Morgan's desk, JJ pulled a chair next to Garcia, Hotch was sitting on the desk next to Morgan's and Reid was sitting at his desk. They were all looking at her, and more likely than not, profiling her. She supposed that she had best get used to people behaving this way.

"So, how do you know Rossi? All he said was that you were involved in a case he dealt with. Your two young to have worked with him, so what's the story?" JJ questioned.

Catie put on a brave smile and began to tell her story.


	7. Pancakes

**AN: Wow, this is the longest chapter I've written. It was 1,175 words without the AN. The updates will be a bit more spread out due to the opening of school. Review and tell me what you think!**

* * *

"I was fourteen, my brother, Colton, was nineteen. He was still living with us for a while he went to college. It was a cold December night in 1996. We had all gone to bed. Our parents' bedroom was at one end of the hall and our bedrooms were at the other end. It was just a normal night," Catie Pierce started. She had everyone's undivided attention. She was used to telling this story, but it never got any easier.

"I was the first one up the next morning. It was the tenth-a Tuesday. Dad always made us pancakes on Tuesdays. I was the first one to wake up that morning. I went straight for my parents' room so that I could wake up and get him to make the pancakes. I opened the door and..." Catie drew in a deep breath, involuntarily shuddering ever-so- slightly as the day's events were replayed in her head. "...there my parents were in their bed. At first I thought they were just sleeping, but when I got a few steps closer, I could see the blood. There was so much blood- it was all over the place. I didn't think two people could have so much blood.

"Before I could do anything else, my knees buckled underneath me. I didn't even realize I was screaming until Colton came in and tried to shut me up. When I realized what I was doing, I forced myself to stop and I looked up at my brother; he was crying. I had never seen him cry in my whole life. I was too, but I was the one who finally picked up the phone and called the police. I don't know how they understood me, but within fifteen minutes we heard sirens and people pounding at the front door. Colton went downstairs and let them in; I didn't want to - I couldn't- leave my parents alone like that.

"They had Colton stay downstairs in our kitchen. Uniform officers and CSI came into my parents' room, but I wouldn't let any of them touch me. In my state of shock and panic, I had for some reason convinced myself that they were the bad guys. Then David Rossi and a couple of other agents came in; I don't remember the other agents' names. They were dressed in suits and weren't brandishing their guns or any equipment to where I could see them, so I decided they must be the good guys. I let them take me downstairs. I was so scared. The only adults in my life were gone. We didn't have any other family and now it was just me and my brother.

"They took us to the police station and asked us questions before we were even dressed. It was there I learned that there had been three other murders like our parents'; this was the first time there were others in the house at the time of the murders. David helped us a lot during that time. And he let us know everything in the investigation. He didn't hide the little things that are hidden for the sake of protecting people's imagination from the truth."

"So, did they catch the guy? He _is_ in jail, right?" Garcia wanted to know.

"Yeah, they caught him before he could destroy any more families. He's dead," Catie replied dropping all eye contact with the team.

No one said anything for a couple of minutes; they were still soaking in what Catie had just told them. Hotch broke the silence.

"It sounds like you had quite a childhood," Hotch commented. "So, who's going to show Catie around?"

The team looked at each other, deciding who would take on the duty.

"Um, I will," Reid spoke up timidly.

"Uh- alright, Reid," Hotch said a bit surprised. "You show Catie around the building. As for the rest of us, we all have work to get back to."

Reid ignored the stares from his coworkers as he and Catie stood up and he led her out of the bullpen doors.

* * *

When they were out of the bullpen, Reid turned and spoke to Catie.

"I-I'm sorry about your parents," he told her with sympathy in his voice.

Catie looked down at her shoes. "Um, thanks, but there's nothing for you to feel sorry about. I'm sorry that you had to hear that story," she replied. "...So, you were going to show me around?" She asked looking up at him.

"Oh- uh, yeah, right. The grand tour of the Behavioral Analysis Unit," Reid answered a bit absent-mindedly.

"So, what's your story, Dr. Reid?" Catie asked as they walked down a hallway.

"Me? I was a twelve year old child prodigy in the Las Vegas public school system with a paranoid schizophrenic mother and a father who left us. The prime target for childhood bullying," Reid said in a joking tone, trying to-unsuccessfully- make light of his less than idyllic childhood.

"Oh," Catie stated simply. "I'm sorry that I made you tell that to a total stranger."

"Total stranger? I've known you for forty seven minutes; you're not a total stranger," Reid stated matter-of-factly. "And you didn't make me; I told you on my own free will. I wasn't obligated to tell you. Besides, you told us one of the worst things that ever happened to you."

"Are you sure it was forty seven? I only I counted forty six," she responded with a smile. "And, by the way, it was the worst thing, not one of."

"Oh. Sorry."

"No, problem. I can forgive you," Catie replied with another smile.

There was a pause before Reid asked another question.

"So, what did you tell Rossi back in the conference room?"

Catie's face became a bit red. "Oh, I had hoped you forgot about that."

"I have an eidetic memory," Reid replied.

"Well, then, I suppose you won't forget then."

"No, probably not."

"I said, '_Scommetto che lui ha un QI_ _più alto del mio_!'. It means, 'I bet he's got an IQ higher than mine!'," Catie replied, not looking directly at Reid's face.

A smile spread across the young doctor's face. "Really? What made you think that?"

"Well, I wasn't placed in the BAU because I have a pretty face. I read your body language, that and you are a doctor and you are no older that thirty years old and aren't new to the team. So, I figured that your IQ had to be at least 180. Simple, actually," Catie explained.

"Wow, you'll do great in the field. You were right; I do have an IQ above 180," Reid agreed with her assumption. "It is 187. Is yours really 180?"

"Um, yeah, it is," Catie answered and dropped her gaze.

"Wow, that's amazing. Most women have an IQ between eighty and 120," Reid commented.

"Like I said, they didn't hire me because I had a pretty face. My intelligence has made up for that," Catie said.

"Well, I-I think you have a pretty face," Reid said sheepishly.


	8. Smiles

Catie Pierce smiled sheepishly at Spencer Reid's last statement. There was a brief silence as the two agents realized what Spencer had just said.

"R-really?" Catie asked dubious.

"I-I...w-well, yeah... I-I mean at least _I _think so," Reid answered as his face grew a rosier shade of pink.

"No one has ever told me that before," Catie acknowledged.

"Really? Huh..." Reid commented before he lapsed into a state of thought as they boarded the elevator.

"So," Catie said to gain the thinking doctor's attention. "When does the team go on their next case?"

"Hm? Oh, tomorrow. Unless a high importance case comes in. Then we go as soon as possible."

"Oh, alright; I-I didn't know."

"No, you didn't," Reid agreed. "None of us told you when we were leaving for a case."

* * *

The two made their way to Penelope Garcia's cavern of color, hope, and happiness.

"This is Garcia's office," was all that Reid warned as he knocked on the door.

"Enter, thou who knock-est!" Garcia called from behind the door. "Oh, hello! It seems that Doctor Reid and our newbie neighbor have come for a visit! I welcome you to my lair," Garcia greeted as she hugged the newest member of the team.

"Uh, hi, Garcia, I'm just showing Catie around the BAU and I thought that your office might be one of the more important stops on the tour," Reid told the bubbly technical analyst as she released Catie from her embrace.

"Oh, it's, like, mandatory," Garcia laughed. "So, this is my little place in the BAU. I do all of the hacking-like things that make catching the bad guy all the more easier for you people. And quite quickly, I might add."

Catie stood looking over the room. "Nice trinkets, I suppose. I'm sure they make your job a tiny bit more bearable."

"Oh, thanks! The happier and fluffier the better!" Garcia exclaimed. "Sometimes you just need some extra happy in this job. Of course, you are probably already aware of that though. Oh, you two have to see this..." After another few moments of Garcia, Reid and Catie took their exit.

* * *

When the duo returned to the bullpen, they were greeted with more stares from their team members. Mainly from a certain Derek Morgan.

"Catie, Hotch wants to see you in his office," Morgan informed her.

Catie nodded and started up to Aaron Hotchner's office.

"So, Pretty Boy, you have fun on your little tour?" Morgan teased Reid as soon as Reid sat down.

"Uh, yeah," Reid answered absentmindedly.

"See anything exciting?" Morgan pestered.

"What? Oh, um no? Morgan, don't you have better things to do than to beleaguer me? Like your work?" Reid asked, agitated.

"Hey, cool it, man. All I wanted was to know if you had a good time," Morgan said in defense. Behind him JJ giggled.

"JJ," Reid whined. "It isn't funny. I'm tired of being the runt of Derek's torment."

"Okay, Pretty Boy, I'll make you a deal," Morgan bargained. "I'll knock it off for a while if you do a couple of my case files. Deal?"

Reid sat for a moment, weighing his options. He decided that the rest of the day without Morgan bothering him was worth a couple extra files.

Reid sighed. "Fine- but I'm only doing a _couple_ of your files, not your whole stack," Reid informed him.

Morgan chuckled and handed Reid two of his files. "Alright, I'll leave you alone."

"Thanks," Reid said as he took the files from Morgan's hand and went back to his own desk.

"Until tomorrow, that is," Morgan said so that only JJ could hear. JJ stifled her laughed.

* * *

_Back in Hotch's office_

"So did you enjoy your tour of the BAU?" Hotch asked once Catie had entered and taken a seat in Hotch's office.

"Yes, sir. You have a very nice establishment here. It will be an honor to work here, sir," Catie replied.

"You mean, 'It is an honor to work here'," Hotch corrected her.

"Sir?" Catie asked with a look utter bewilderment on her face

Hotch exhaled through his nose. "Present tense, Agent Pierce. You do work here and you are part of this team now; currently. I would like you to adopt this mindset soon. It affects the way you act in the field."

"I'm sorry, sir. I'll work on that," Catie replied while inside silently cursing herself for not catching and correcting it herself.

"Good," Hotch replied with a serious look. "I'd like you to look over these files and create a profile based on them. I would like to see how you profile before we're actually on a case." Hotch held up a handful of files and handed them to Catie.

"Yes, sir. You can count on me to do my best," Catie responded with determination in her voice.

"That's what I thought. You can leave now, Catie," Hotch said, dismissing her.

Catie walked out of Hotch's office, gently closing the door behind her. She walked into the bullpen where Morgan and Reid were working on their own files, and to her new desk. As she sat down, she gave a subtle smile to Reid, who had been discreetly watching her make her way back.

Maybe it really wouldn't be such a bad thing having a desk adjacent to Dr. Reid's.

* * *

**AN- So, what do you guys think? Review or PM me to let me know your thought, opinions, and suggestions. Oh, and take the two polls on my profile page, too. Thanks!**


	9. A suggestion

Aaron Hotchner was going over the profiles that Catie Pierce had created when David Rossi walked into his office.

"How's it going, Aaron?" Rossi asked as Hotch looked up from his work.

"I was just looking over the profiles I had Pierce make for some of our old cases."

"And what do you think?" Rossi asked, taking a seat.

"Take a look for yourself," Hotch said handing Rossi some of the files.

After he had read a few of the files, Rossi was satisfied with his findings. "She was almost spot-on. Were you expecting that good, Aaron? Or did you think that I would recommend someone who didn't know the first thing about profiling?"

"No, no; she's just so good that it's weird. She'll come in handy in the field, though," Hotch responded.

"Yes, well..."Rossi let his statement drift off. "Listen, Aaron, I was thinking that the team should go out to dinner to welcome Catie. What are your thoughts on that?"

"That sounds like a good idea. The team needs to do something together than work. And where exactly did you have in mind to eat at, Dave?" Hotch asked agreeing to Rossi's suggestion.

"I know a nice Italian place called _Il Giardino dei Fiori._ It's not that far away," Rossi said. "Should we ask the rest of the team?" (The Flower Garden)

Hotch looked at his watch. "Sure, I think I can let everyone go a little bit early."

* * *

Out in the bullpen, three of the team's members were busy writing at their desks. Derek Morgan was the only one actually working on case files, however. Spencer Reid and Catie Pierce had long finished their work and were both composing letters to different people. Reid was writing a letter to his mom and Catie was writing one to her brother.

* * *

'_Dear Mom, we got a new member to our team today,'_ Reid scrawled. _'Her name is Catherine Pierce. Catherine, from its Greek origin, meaning pure. She's taking Emily's place. You know, she's a lot like me; her IQ is 180. I've never met any girl with an intelligence quotient that high and still remain so high functioning in society. She's kind of attractive, too...'_

Across from him, Catie was writing the about the day to her older brother.

'_Colton; Today was the first day of my new job.'_ Catie penned._ 'I have a job in the BAU. Yes, the same unit that David Rossi was a part of in 1996. He came back from retirement, so I get to work with him. The people seem very considerate. There's one gentleman in particular. His name is Dr. Spencer Reid. He's my age and he has an IQ of 187. You don't meet very many people that smart too often. He's actually kind of handsome...'_

* * *

At that time, Rossi and Hotch walked out of the latter's office and down to where the three were deskbound.

"We were talking, and we decided that we all could to go out to dinner as a team," Hotch addressed them. "Would you guys care to come?"

The three nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, sure, Hotch," Morgan said. "What time?"

"Well, since it is almost seven, I thought we all could leave early and go now, if that's alright with you, Morgan," Hotch replied.

The group dispersed, and Morgan retrieved Penelope Garcia and Jennifer Jareau.

"So, does the team go to dinner very often?" Catie asked Reid a bit confused.

Reid shook his head and drew his eyebrows in concentration. "No. It's fairly rare. Most of the time we see each other practically every day, so it's usually for a special occasion...like today."

"Oh. I didn't think so. Um, so where exactly are we going? I haven't really been in the DC area since I attended the academy," Catie asked.

"I have no idea," Reid confided shrugging his shoulders. "Probably somewhere Rossi chose."

* * *

Within an hour, the members of the Behavioral Analysis Unit were pulling into the parking lot of _Il Giardino dei Fiori. _

Most had gone home briefly to change into dressier clothing. Hotch and Morgan hadn't felt the need to freshen their clothes. Rossi had changed his shirt and tie to those of a rich plum color. JJ was dressed in a dark blue dress. Garcia was boldly clad in a hot pink and purple dress and a large purple flower on her head. Reid was dressed in a white oxford dress shirt, pale purple necktie, a brown sweater –vest, and brown jacket. Catie had changed into a lavender sweater and a silver skirt that just reached the tops of her knee caps. (The purple aspect had been purely coincidental.)

The crew entered the restaurant at their own pace. Rossi had reserved a semicircle booth near the back of the eatery. As they walked back, the team noticed that the place smelt of pasta and breadsticks, giving them the inclination of what they would most likely be ordering.

As they were figuring out the seating arrangements, Reid commented, "_Il Giardino dei Fiori._ I wonder what that means."

"The Flower Garden," Catie said quietly.

"Aright," Hotch said. "Let's all get settled."

At one end going in to the other side, sat Morgan, Garcia, JJ, Reid, Catie, Rossi, and lastly Hotch.

When the waiter finally came to take their drink orders, Reid and Catie were the only two who opted out of wine, causing them to receive odd looks from the others.

Catie helping Reid with the menu was pointless. When the waiter came back to take their food orders, Rossi impressed the waiter with his fluent Italian.

"_Grazie_, sir. And for you two?" The waiter asked addressing Reid and Catie.

"I'll take the chicken broccoli alfredo, please," the two said simultaneously before falling into a fit of laughter.

Rossi leaned over to Hotch and said, "Well, this is going to be a long night."

* * *

**Sorry that this took so long, folks. It wasn;t exactly what I wanted it to be, but what can you do? So, what so you think about all of this? Is it going too fast, too slow? Review so that I can know what you want in this story, and I'll do my best to comply. Thanks for reading, another update should be up within the next week or so.**


	10. So, tell us something exciting

**I realize that I have failed to properly describe Catie's appearance, so I will do so. I sort of wanted you guys to picture what she looks like on your own, first. Also, I apologize for the long wait between updates. Geometry got in the way.**

* * *

The waiter brought back the team's drinks and a descent sized basket of breadsticks. There was some idle chit-chat among the group; what shows they watched last night, where they wanted to go next weekend- things like that. All the while, the team was analyzing Catie Pierce.

Her rich, mocha- colored hair, which had a slight wave to it and heavy bangs, cascaded a couple inches down past her shoulders. It was in contrast to her fair face. Her cerulean eyes drifted to those around her, but averted eye contact as much as possible. They fit right in with the small sprinkling of tiny freckles on her nose. Her height was taller than the average woman; at 5' 11'', she was the same height David Rossi.

"So, Catie," Penelope Garcia spoke a little louder than the others to gain their attention. "Tell us something exciting."

Catie looked up suddenly. "Um, in 2010 the average U.S. citizen consumed 2.54 gallons of wine."

"Oh, honey," Garcia shook her head. "That's not exciting. Something personal; you know, with human interest."

"Actually, that statistic does have-"Spencer Reid started to say, but was silenced by looks from his colleagues.

Catie gave Reid a look of sympathy before trying again in hopes of pleasing Garcia.

"I've met with the president for brunch. Is that what you would consider exciting?"

"What?" "Really?" "Why?" " What did you do?" Were the comments from around the table.

"Our whole team was invited. It wasn't so great," Catie said, suddenly becoming engrossed with her breadstick.

"Well, we all think that it's pretty great," Aaron Hotchner commented. "Was he nice?"

"He was nice enough for the fact that he already had eaten before we arrived, he was tired, I had the hiccups the whole time, and it was raining outside. And we were seven minutes late."

"That sounds like you had a great time," JJ teased. "So, what team were you part of?"

"Yeah, what exactly did you do that you earned brunch with the president?" Derek Morgan asked.

"I'm not supposed to say who/ what I was working for at the time of the meeting," Catie said like a brainwashed militant.

That answer did not satisfy Morgan. "Come on, not even-" Rossi interrupted him.

"Morgan, don't. It would be best if you didn't pry. If she wanted you to know, she would have told you, but it seems that she is unable to due to things we shouldn't be concerned with."

"Thank you, sir," Catie thanked Rossi.

The food arrived just then. There was a slight bit of confusion as the plates were passed to the appropriate diner.

Garcia stole a bit of Morgan's mound of pasta and seafood causing him to playfully snatch a bite of her food. Catie leaned over to Reid.

"Um, are those two always like that?" She whispered.

"Don't worry; you'll get used to it," Reid whispered back. He turned to JJ.

"So JJ; how's Henry?"

"Henry's great, Spence," JJ responded, happy to tell about her young son. "Henry is my four year old son," JJ said looking at Catie. "His newest fascination is with bunny rabbits."

"Are you going to get him one?" Reid asked.

"Uh, yeah, sure. If it stays at his uncle Spence's house," JJ said with all seriousness.

"Then, that would be a no, I take it," Reid replied.

"Aw, come one, man. You wouldn't want to break the little guy's heart, would you?" Morgan remarked.

"We're a loving family here," Rossi told Catie with a smile.

"That I don't doubt," she replied.

"Jack's soccer team finally won a game the other day," Hotch said to no one in particular.

"Wow, you must be pretty proud of him, Hotch," JJ said.

"Jack is my seven year old son," Hotch informed Catie.

"How old are you, Catie," Morgan asked.

"I'm thirty years, three months," Catie informed him.

There was a pause before Garcia randomly blurted, "Are you married, Catie?"

Catie gave a small laugh. "No. I'm not married, why?"

"Oh, well, I didn't think so. I just wondered. No particular reason."

"You're the technical analyst, correct?" Catie asked. Garcia nodded. "Then why didn't you just look that information up?"

"I thought it would make better conversation," Garcia noted. "Which can be useful when trying to make friends."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I was simply stating a fact," Catie replied coolly.

"So, what are you planning to do once we get some sort of day off?" Rossi asked, trying to change the subject.

"Probably finish unpacking the last of my boxes. Then maybe go through my book collection and see which ones I can give away," Catie answered.

"What titles do you have in your current collection?" Reid asked becoming suddenly interested in the conversation.

"Oh, you know; all of the general classics. Then there are-" Catie answered before she got cut off.

Reid scrunched his eyebrows in concentration. "Do you like poetry?"

"Um, yeah. I find poetry quite interesting. I have twenty-six anthologies on poetry at the moment, thirty-one on classical literature. I also have many first editions, including stage productions," Catie continued.

"Stage productions?" Garcia questioned.

"Yes. I was part of a youth music and drama company from ages four to fourteen. I didn't renew my contract because of college, and well, you know..." Catie explained, trailing off.

"You were very good," Rossi commented. When Catie looked confused, he continued. "I came back to see you in The Broadway Café. You played the part of Percy; especially considering what you were going through. "

"I didn't know that you came to that," Catie said softly and a bit stunned.

"Could you hand me another breadstick?" Morgan interrupted.

"Derek, this is your seventh," Reid noted.

"That's only three more than you," Morgan replied as Reid handed him the breadstick basket.

"I have a lot of sauce on my plate!" Reid exclaimed. He turned to Catie. "What is one of your favorite poems?"

"The Unknown Citizen by W.H. Auden," Catie stated without having to think about it.

"Oh, that's an interesting choice," Reid said, going off on another one of his tangents. "It actually..."

* * *

About an hour later, the team had finished their meal and dessert.

"Shall we go and pay?" Hotch said. The team got up and retrieved their things from the coat rack, except for Reid and Catie, who were still in deep conversation about literature.

"Are you two ready? The rest of us are leaving," Hotch told them.

"What? Oh, uh, right Hotch," Reid said a bit startled. "We'll just be a second."

"Something tells me that those two hit it off well," Morgan commented once Hotch rejoined the team.

"Yeah, it's nice to see that Reid has a friend," Hotch agreed.

"Was it just me or were those two sitting closer together as the night went on?" Rossi asked to no one in particular.

"Oh, so that wasn't just me?" JJ asked.

"I think that they'd be cute together. They could have little baby geniuses!" Garcia put in.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves here, Garcia," JJ warned. "They may not even like each other."

"Listen JJ, I may not be a profiler, but I know googly eyes when I see them," Garcia replied.

"What's going on guys?" Reid asked as he and Catie joined the group to pay for their supper.

"We were just saying how glad we are that you're joining the team, Catie," Morgan covered.

"How much do you want to beat that that's not what they were discussing?" Catie whispered to Reid while the others were paying.

Meanwhile, Garcia was whispering to JJ and Morgan. "I'll do a little research on our new friend tomorrow."

* * *

"All right everyone," Hotch said as the team was dispersing to their cars. "Tomorrow at seven; we've got a case. Get some rest."

* * *

**So, what do you all think? Review to let me know, good or bad!**


End file.
